AP HUG Unit 5

agriculture

the deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain

factors of agriculture

• climate

• space/landforms

• soil/nutrients

tropical & subtropical

• shifting cultivation

• plantation

• characteristics:

  • high temperatures

  • abundant rainfall

  • humidity

  • high amounts of vegetation

drylands/deserts

• pastoral nomadism

• livestock ranching

• characteristics:

  • high temperatures

  • little rainfall

  • mountainous

  • little vegetation

temperate (mid-latitude)

• mixed crop & livestock

• commercial grain farming

• commercial gardening

• dairy

• mediterranean

• characteristics:

  • seasonal changes between summers and winters

  • moderate temperatures

  • moderate rainfall

economic forces

the cost of land, labor, and machinery

intensive forces

• large amounts of labor and/or capital n a relation area of land being farmed

• usually located near areas with high population density

• market gardening, plantation agriculture, mixed crop & livestock, mediterranean

extensive forces

• fewer inputs of labor and/or capital in relation to area of land being farmed

• usually located away from major population centers

• shifting cultivation, livestock ranching, nomadic herding, commercial grain farming

nomadic herding

• climate: drylands/desert

• where: northern africa, southwest africa, central asia, east asia

• livestock: cattle, camels, reindeer, goats, yaks, sheep, horses

• extensive

• substance

• nomads move herds to different pastures and trade meat, milk, and hides

• rely upon animals for survival instead of profit

pastoral nomadism

• climate: semi-arid and arid climates

• herders move animals seasonally to graze → soil erosion & desertification

  • formerly fertile lands become infertile as a result of overgrazing and droughts

commercial grain farming

• climate: mid-latitudes

• where: United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Central Asia, China, South Asia

• crops: wheat

• extensive

• commercial

• crops are grown primarily for human consumption

• farms sell their output to manufacturers of food products, such as breakfast cereals and bread

grain farming

• most important cereal grain: wheat

• highly mechanized, revolutionized by the reaper in the 1830s and today combines reaping, threshing, and cleaning in a single operation

intensive subsistence

• agriculture involving the regular application of intense physical labor in order to keep a unit of land in production

• leads to extensive modification of the landscape

terraces

often constructed for intensive subsistence in places too hilly for farming

double cropping

• wet seasons (spring, summer): rice

• dry seasons (winter, fall): grain

market gardening

• climate: warm mid-latitude

• where: southeastern US, California, Southeastern Australia

• crops: fresh fruits and vegetables, lettuce, broccoli, apples, oranges, tomatoes

• intensive, relies on migrant laborers & machinery

• commercial

• some produce sold fresh to consumers, most sold to large processors for canning or freezing

plantation agriculture

• the only type of commercial agriculture prevalent in the developing world

• cash crops are grown on large estates for sale of the global market

  • tobacco, cocoa, sugar, cotton, rubber, coffee, bananas, palm oil

• climate: tropical

• where: Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South & Southeast Asia

• intensive

• commercial

mixed crop & livestock

• climate: cold & warm mid-latitude

• where: midwestern US & Canada, Central Europe

• crops: corn, grains & soybeans grown to feed cattle & pigs

• intensive, relies on high amounts of capital and labor

• commercial

mediterranean

• climate: mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers; coastal

• where: Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Pacific Coast of the US, South Africa, Southern Australia

• crops: grapes, olives, dates, figs

• intensive: land is scarce, hilly, labor intensive

• commercial

• orchards are common, crops produced for the global market

dairy farming

• climate: mid-latitudes

• where: northern US, Canada, Europe, Russia, China, India, Brazil

• intensive: cows need to be milked twice a day, machinery

• commercial

metes and bounds

• clustered

• common in GB & North America

metes

measurement on a straight run

bounds

walls, rivers, roads, result in irregular shaped lots

long lot

• relationship to river

• equal access to resources: water, soil, transportation

• nucleated villages (clustered)

• common in France, French Canada, Spain & Louisiana

township and range

• pioneered by Thomas Jefferson

• rectangles and grid system

• each township is 6×6 miles

• keep track of land sales

• purchase to utilize a uniform survey method

clustered settlements

• common in Europe

• sense of community

• shared resources

• farmland and pasture surround settlement

• walk to farmland

• metes & bounds survey method

dispersed settlements

• common in North America

• less community

• more connected to your resources and your farmland

• reflective of individual values and ownership of land

• township & range survey methods

linear settlement

• organized along a line

• along transportation (roads, rivers)

• long lot survey method

hunters and gatherers

• lived in groups of 50 or less

• relocated regularly along with changing seasons

Agricultural Revolution

when humans first domesticated plants and animals, reliance on hunting and gathering was removed

Carl Sauer

• cultural geographer

• believed that the earliest form of plant cultivation was vegetative planting

  • new plants were produced from existing plants, such as cutting stems and dividing roots

primary effects of the agricultural revolution

• create permanent settlements

• have greater food security

• host larger populations

• establish division of labor

secondary effects of the agricultural revolution

• endemic diseases

• famine

• expansionism

hearth

the geographic origin of a trait, characteristic, innovation or other concept

domestication

the deliberate effort to grow plants and raise animals, making plants and animals adapt to human demands

agricultural hearth

the separate locations in which groups of people began to domesticate plants and animals

contagious diffusion

agriculture first diffused to the immediate surrounding areas of the hearths through close contact and proximity between farmers

relocation diffusion

as people migrate they bring food, ingredients, seeds, and animals

stimulus diffusion

• as people moved into new locations, seeds may not be as prosperous due to different physical conditions

• resulted in the adaptation of farming methods or crops using the agricultural knowledge the farmer had previously acquired

Columbian Exchange

• the exchange of goods and ideas between North America, Africa, and Europe initiated by Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the Americas in 1492

  • Resulted in the spread of plants, animals, and diseases between the “Old World” and the “New World”

Green Revolution

• spread high yield varieties of crops around the world

• for example, new varieties of plants replace traditional crops in places like Mexico and India

Second Agricultural Revolution

• when: 1750

• where: Great Britain

• diffusion: through GB into Europe and the US

Industrial Revolution

the use of technology (mechanization) to increase production and distribution of agricultural goods

enclosure movement

series of laws enacted by the British government that enabled landowners to purchase and enclose land for their own use which had previously been communal land used by peasant farmers

resulted in:

• emergence of commercial agriculture

• fewer and larger farms → decrease in farm owners → improvements in farming techniques → decrease in agricultural laborers

urbanization

mass migration of people into the cities to work in newly emerging factories

Second Agricultural Revolution impact

• increased food production

• increased factory work

• increase of calories consumed

• increased life expectancy

diet influences

• level of development

• physical conditions

• cultural factors

disparities

exist between how the developed and developing world acquires needed protein

• meat consumption provides most protein in the developed world

• cereal grains provide most protein in the developing world

food security

access to safe and nutritious food required for an active and healthy life